Masters and Servants (Liana, Ava)

[Slash]

The Art of War

Lethe and Kyza looked out of the portal to see the stone caverns of Radiant Garden. They had gone through the corridor a little slower than usual, pointing out things to Mistress Liana. It was imperative that the mistress knew everything they could teach. She must be knowledgable as well as strong so that she would find her place among the greater Nobodies. That seemed to be what she wanted.

"We are here," Lethe said. They left the portal, then waited for the mistress to exit as well.

"Radiant Garden. This is the great stone canyon of this world. There is a castle and a town that way, past crystal caverns and a stone maze."

"A more isolated section would be good to begin with."

"We can focus here." There weren't any hearts to be hunted in this place. It was an ideal spot for training, all things considered. It was quite vast and empty, and they had little chance of unwanted disruptions. Any noise they made would not be investigated by too many prying eyes.

Not that Lethe or Kyza minded. Snooping people could be destroyed easily.

"There are great fighters on this world. Always have been."

"But we will have to go over the basics if-" Kyza stopped, and the two looked off into the distance. Something was approaching. They quickly became alert.

[Administrator]

The hand that feeds.

Avarice felt a disturbance. There was a dark corridor somewhere, and there was two powerful Heartless accompanied by a weaker Nobody coming from it. "I've gotta check that out," he said to himself, waiting inside Auntie Mally's castle for someone to come home. But no one was here, he was alone, and he knew he'd have to occupy himself somehow.

And this gave him his somehow. Now, he was running as fast as he possibly could, sprinting to this disturbance. Cresting a rise in the ground, Ava stared down into the canyon below, feeling more than seeing the three creatures down there. One of nothingness unfeeling and two of darkness unseeing. Despite the years he could smell emanating from the two humanoid Heartless, the creature of Chaos knew that they didn't see the truth of their existence.

They were servants to a master that was cruel and capricious while maintaining the naïveté that came from not feeling any emotions, and not pretending to. But this one smelled different. Fresh. Maybe this one wouldn't be like Zexion. She could be a friend. Friend, the word flashed through his mind. What he would give to have a few more of those.

At the thought, a compass burned in the back of his mind. He could still feel the location of the former Organization member, Axel. It was something he was more used to now, though. Ava shook his head, clearing his thoughts. They wouldn't help him now. Now, all he had was to figure out who this newcomer was and make her either a friend or dead. He didn't want to kill her, never had wanted to kill, but he did like to play, and killing is a part of playing. And if killing them made them not kill him, that was okay.

She had told him that. It was okay to kill. Kill Heartless, kill people, kill Nobodies, all were okay. Just kill, kill, kill. He thought of her as his mother, even now. But she disappeared one day, and hadn't returned since. It was sad, but it taught him that those who told him to kill did not stay, and those who said not to kill did. The killers killed each other, but the not-killers lived.

Living, yet another unfamiliar word. Ava could almost taste it, but it felt so different to him, so strange and alien. Maybe if he tried he could feel the feel of living...but he was Heartless, and so he could not feel...but yet he did, and why? Why was he alive, and separate from those others who slaved at the hands of others? Why was he alone granted the truth? Chaos was in him to his core, yes, but he understood better than most the truth of Order. Order is stability, and those who delight in Chaos can't have that. They are eternally destroying, tearing down what Order builds.

Maybe he wanted Order. Maybe Ava strived for his own piece of that Order. But he knew he was Chaos, and it was not for him. So, with his Chaos, he'd make more Chaos. But even Chaos needed allies, friends with which to make more Chaos. Even Chaos could use two weapons, as Ava did, at once, in perfect balance. Random, chaotic balance, to be sure, but balance nevertheless.

At that thought, Ava dropped to the canyon below. He had watched enough, and it was time for action. Time to test the abilities of the ones who had appeared here in his domain. Flashing with a rainbow of colors, unlike they ever had, twin katanas appeared in Ava's hands. Spinning them around and around, he dashed forward, hitting the ground at a run, which became a dead sprint. As he raced towards the trio of newcomers, the familiar grin settled into place.

After all, what did philosophy matter to him right now, on the battlefield? Here, he was at home. Here, Ava's true skills were shown. On the battlefield, all was left behind except for the tools of war and the mind with which to do it. It was dominated by split-second decisions, always doubting your moves from one moment to the next. Or, in Ava's case, always knowing your moves to be the right ones, the chaotic movements in just the perfectly, innately right way.

This was his home, the battlefield, the place where he could control his fate, where it didn't matter if he was a tool of destruction that secretly wanted personal Order, or maybe didn't want Order at all and just thought he did because he thought it would make his life better instantly, a miracle cure. Because it would bring her back. The grin was lost for a moment, but then he closed the gap between himself and the newcomers, and, spinning the familiar blades, it returned to grace his features.

For now, it wouldn't matter. A slice to the left with his right blade, slashing at the Nobody to test her and her lackeys, and a reminder of his own former servitude to her. Perhaps the fact that she was gone was not so bad, his mind seemed to muse as the left hand moved diagonally upward and to the right, testing the male who has some similar features to him. He ignored this, as he could not possibly be a relative, and instead drew his right weapon backward.

A stab towards the female, then, the one who reeked of fear. Maybe she would be injured, or maybe the male would defend. Or perhaps the Nobody would be kind and defend her herself. It didn't matter right now, all that mattered was the surge he was getting now, as his mind settled into that familiar pattern that was no pattern. A feint with his left, and a feint with his right, aimed at none of the three in particular. Ambiguous slashes would throw them off, and would allow him the upper hand.

Suddenly, Ava spun in a full circle, his swords positioned to both make maximum slashing devastation. It was time to test them, and see exactly how strong the ties that bind were. If the ties were strong, he could sever his own ties and form new ones here. Kadaj would be disappointed--maybe, his mind supplied--in him, but he would be glad for the chance to fight him again, like their first time.

As he thought of that, Ava jumped backwards. He hadn't introduced himself yet. Keeping his eyes open for any tricks which the Nobody might try, and any attacks the Heartless might use, the man who seemed little more than a boy opened his mouth. "My name is Avarice Entropy, Chaos Incarnate. What are your names?" It was only good manners, after all, to give your playmates your name. "Do you like my game~?" He hoped they did, he had picked it out for them. It was a fun game, too...one that they could all enjoy.

[Aerith]

Steep Learning Curve

Her second journey through a Corridor had been much less surreal than the first. This was aided by her two guides, who made sure to instruct her on the finer points of Corridor travel as they moved. And move, they did. No matter how leisurely their pace became, they never stopped moving. That was important.

She listened to Lethe and Kyza verbally introduce her to this new world called Radiant Garden while she stepped out of the darkness. The canyon they were now in was vast, a massive scar that still did not quite detract from the scenery's beauty. Here was where they would begin their training. Isolation was welcome for now. She was still getting used to her new existence and was not ready for extensive social interactions.

Before they could start, however, a strange figure appeared which drew the pair's attention like a magnet. The speed at which he was coming toward them betrayed his intentions. Violence was on its way, whether Liana was ready for it or not. The weapon she had summoned before came to her hands once again. It had almost been like a reflex. Both of her hands grasped the shaft tightly. Now that she was standing and holding it, she found it surprisingly light despite its large proportions. She briefly wondered if that was another Nobody bonus.

No time to ponder that. Swords were sweeping in her direction. Hallowed Ruin rose to meet them, knocking aside the initial blow before swinging to intercept the stab headed in Lethe's direction. She was moving purely by instinct, fledgling battle prowess that almost seemed to come from her possession of her weapon. The onslaught of blows continued for only a few seconds before the stranger leaped back and decided to speak.

Liana stared dispassionately at the creature now known as Avarice. "Chaos Incarnate" struck her as a bit arrogant, but from the timbre of his voice, it was an odd sort of arrogant. "My name is Liana. And this is Lethe and Kyza." She indicated the two in turn with a nod in their direction.

Now that she thought about it, Kyza and Avarice shared similar features. "Are you...? Are you a Heartless, too?"

The creature's playful tone made it difficult to tell if he was truly playing a game or if he actually meant them harm. "And what game are we playing?" she asked levelly.

[Slash]

Unexpected Battle

Lethe and Kyza reacted quickly to the introduction of the new...Heartless? It appeared to be a Heartless, but this one smelled very odd. Either way, it was a humanoid creature who was currently attacking them.

It had been such a long time since they had fought. It was almost a surprise when they shifted immediately from their more human personalities into a single unit, with two facets. Lethe was the offensive, Kyza was the defensive. A great chain appeared between them, with large hooks at both ends. Kyza was about to block the strike to Lethe, but was stopped as Mistress Liana blocked it herself. They moved in front of her, defending her.

Lethe took the chain and split it in half, a feature of the chains. She swung her end, the hook on one end speeding up quickly. If all went well, he would be bisected completely. Or she could just hook him in using that gaping hole in his chest. Kyza took his half and moved back a bit to Liana, ready to strike should the creature make a move. As long as Lethe and Kyza were fighting and held the chains, they could stand to be apart short distances.

But then he ceased, and Lethe slowed the arc of the chain, letting it slowly drop. If the mistress wanted to speak to him, then they would hold off for just a bit. They were rather happy. She had done well.

They had not fought in a while, and it took them a second to realize that this was...fun? Yes, it was enjoyable. Very much so. They understood what the Avarice creature meant by a game.

"A good game," Lethe said. Her voice had changed, lost its softness. "Very good."

Kyza looked at Liana. "He is not a Heartless. He is something different. Not sure exactly what."

[Administrator]

Out with the Old, in with the New.

The creature had been expecting something less efficient, but he was happily disappointed. They were a unit, even though he could smell they hadn't been together for long; for one, the Nobody was still fresh, and for two, neither carried much of the scent of the other. They would begin to over time. Ava's blades disappeared, vanishing into him to be redrawn at a later date.

"I'm glad you enjoyed my game. Maybe we can continue it later." It was less of a question, more of a promise. He wanted to play with them more, and they, being Heartless as he was, would want to as well. Turning to the Nobody, Ava made a small bow. "I'm glad to meet you, Liana. Welcome to Radiant Garden, home to my Auntie Mally and my best friend," though he wasn't sure on that anymore, "Kadaj." Maybe he wasn't his bestest friend anymore, but that didn't mean that they weren't at all friends.

Musing it over, Ava nodded. He could still be friends with Kadaj and fight him and be with Liana, Lethe, and Kyza for a time. But that was something he'd still have to decide. Having realized he was no longer looking at the three of them, and was instead looking in the direction of the castle that no one was in at the moment, the creature of Chaos shook his head quickly and turned to face the trio before him.

"I know that you, Miss Nobody, are new to this, but Lethe and Kyza are not." He turned to face them now. Giving a slight nod of respect as he said, "They are my elders," the creature of Chaos quickly thought of how to word his next few sentences. "Have you noticed the change in the balance? How the Light is much stronger than the Dark now?" He wasn't entirely of the Dark himself, he was separate, of Chaos rather than Darkness. But this was important. He needed to know what they had seen.

EDIT: added formatting

[Aerith]

Curiosity

Ah. The game. Of course. Battle was a game to Avarice, one that she herself would have to get used to playing. But for the moment, she seemed to have passed the test. The two names he mentioned meant nothing to her, but that didn't mean she was going to forget them. She might have been new to all of this, but she was not some air-headed girl who was going to run around in circles, flailing her arms in distress.

Apparently, Lethe and Kyza were much older than their appearances suggested. So old, in fact, that Avarice respectfully acknowledged them as his elders. She wondered why such experienced Heartless were bothering to teach her. After all, she didn't suppose herself to be very important in the grand scheme of things.

This talk of balance was a strange one. There was supposed to be a balance between Light and Darkness, but the balance was tipping too heavily in the favor of the Light. From a personal standpoint, she found this very difficult to believe. "I have seen hardly any evidence that there is too much Light. My world was destroyed by the Darkness perhaps only a few days ago. If you had not said anything about the Light, I would have assumed that Darkness was more dominant."

While she retreated within herself to think for a moment, her eyes flicked over the hole in Avarice's chest. It was both off-putting and strangely fascinating. How had he gotten it? It must have been unique to him, since Lethe and Kyza were Heartless but did not have holes in their chests. "Who else lives here besides you and your other two friends?" All she knew about this place was that there were strong fighters here. Was this some sort of Heartless world? Despite its name, it didn't look very radiant.

[Slash]

The Imbalance

When Ava retracted his swords, Lethe and Kyza did the same with their chains, allowing them to fade into thin air. This being done, they moved closer together. What was he, exactly? He smelled like...well, it was impossible to pinpoint. His smell changed constantly.

It became clear to them that he didn't seek to kill them, but was rather playing- if they were killed, it was a side effect of the game.

Anyway, he was Heartless-like, if not exactly a Heartless. It was a relief and a joy for them to meet someone similar to them, if much younger. They gave him a slight nod as he acknowledged their greater status.

"Greater in age, maybe, but perhaps not greater in strength, if battle scars are anything to go by," Kyza said, noticing the hole in his chest. They listened intently to his words.

Ah. The imbalance. They had noticed it. The worlds were becoming more dangerous for Heartless. There were some worlds where the two did not dare to traverse, as the light would sap the strength from them. It was a bad time.

All thanks to the Keybearer.

"Yes."

"We have noticed. It is a bad omen, to be sure." They listened to the mistress as she challenged the assumption. Still so much to teach...Kyza spoke to her again. "There are still some worlds being consumed by the darkness. But not nearly as many as there were."

"Not that the strength of light means that worlds will not fall."

"Without the darkness, worlds fall by their own merit. They spread their people like a plague, start wars, attack other worlds. Eventually, they destroy themselves and weaken or destroy the worlds of others."

"We have seen."

"We have seen," Kyza repeated. When it came to specific events in history, they were a little off, moreso when going farther and farther back. But when it came to things like this, they remembered well.

"Something will happen soon. Something that either balances it again or tips the scale so far that it becomes the death of us. It has always balanced itself before, but this time seems...different."

After being alone for so long, conversation was quite nice, especially with this Avarice creature. Perhaps he could join them, as long as he did not show any hostility towards the mistress.

[Administrator]

Nature abhors vacuums. That means you shouldn't clean.

Ava took a double take mentally. He suddenly realized that the two Heartless has called him something not a Heartless, but something different. It made sense now, because he was already realizing that he had different traits and qualities than Heartless. He thought he was just wiser to his existence, but it made more sense that he was something different, bonded with the Chaos that was in him...

Chaos, he thought for a moment. That explained it. His body was formed of Chaos, not Darkness like Heartless. He was a literal being of Chaos, and now his name was true, Chaos Incarnate. Ava grinned, his mood suddenly boosted. He now knew what he was, sort of. And even if he wasn't entirely certain on what that was, a being of Chaos, at lease he knew that he was something, and he was closer to understanding.

Being of Chaos...Chaosling. It made sense to him. Turning to the two Heartless--no wonder I had no trouble killing my kin before; they are not my true kin--before him, Ava said, "You're right, I'm different. I'm not a Heartless. I used to think I was...but I'm not. I'm something different." He thought a moment to be sure he wanted to use the term. After he said it, that would be that, and nothing could change it.

In the end, it was already decided. He had made the decision in his prior thoughts. There was no true decision, he was just stalling making the formalization of his cut off from the bond he used to have with the Heartless kind. Ava almost cleared his throat, but he knew it wouldn't help. And so, he just spoke. "A Chaosling, at least that's what I call myself. Chaos Incarnate is about the best representation I can get."

Shrugging while also realizing his face had lost its grin and taken a more somber look, Ava almost sighed but stopped himself. Sighing was a human reaction, and he was no more human than he was Heartless. He had his mind, because he could think. He had his heart, because he could feel. He had a body, but it wasn't the one he had before...that he could remember. It was made of the tingly, sometimes prickly energy of Chaos. He didn't know if he had a soul, but he didn't intend on dying any time soon, so he wasn't about to find out.

Returning to the question faced him by the Nobody, Ava said, "Auntie Mally lives in the castle with Kadaj and his two brothers, Loz and Yazoo. In the town lives a bunch of people, but I don't go there much, because they usually try to kill me." It was a fact of life, he supposed. They usually thought he was a Heartless--and, in fact, he did too during that time--and tried to kill him. They didn't respond so well when he killed them, though...

The Chaosling shook his head. No time for those thoughts, he had to continue his explanation. "The Radiant Garden Restoration Committee lives in the town too, but they wouldn't take kindly to you. Auntie Mally probably wouldn't either, you'd be a neme... Nem... An enemy." Even knowing the truth about himself, or more than before, he still couldn't pronounce some words. But that didn't matter, because Ava didn't need to pronounce all sorts of words.

As he thought of existence, he remembered the Champion. Recalling the words spoken by the man, he thought long and hard. He knows. He knows a lot. I can find him, and he can tell me what it means to be what I am. Nodding to himself, Ava moved on. "But I do know the Light is too strong, and Lethe and Kyza are right with what they are saying. There have been worlds destroyed, but the Light will turn on itself if it loses the Darkness... They'll make a new Darkness from themselves.

"Nature abhors a vacuum." Ava had heard that saying used before, but he never knew what the applications of it could be until he saw the sorry state of the balance. Of course, he had noticed the compliment given him by one of the Heartless duo. "Thanks for the compliment. I really am pretty good at this whole killing thing~" The tilde could be clearly identified from his tone of voice. Ava had the sing-song back, the spoken word that sounded like a bit of sung lyrics rather than a regular sentence.

It may have seemed odd to sing about killing, though, but Ava pulled it off, while maintaining a cheerful mood all the same. It could have been about kittens, the bit, sung by a child, and it would have had the same amount of sheer joy to it. Of course, this was because Ava was not used to compliments, especially to those many years his elder. He tried to ignore the thought that they smelled faintly of mold, and that was what gave away their age to him, but he couldn't help but think of it with them so near.

Ava almost laughed, but he caught himself just in time to avoid it. Laughing wouldn't be appropriate right now. He tried to find something more serious to occupy his mind, and the destruction of Darkness was the thing that immediately came to mind. Of course, that would be a horrible thing if it happened...but would he be destroyed with the Darkness? Was he a part of it anymore? Or was he something separate from that too?

It was so confusing. This is what Chaos is like to other people, Ava thought suddenly, with a a slight giggle. More of a chuckle, but still nonetheless expressing his amusement. He was flustered by something that confused him--what he was precisely--and he was made of Chaos, which was by nature confusing. The irony was not quite lost on him. And then Lethe spoke of a difference. "Is this difference powerful?" he asked, wondering to himself.

Could it have been? "I know a guy who calls himself the Champion." Ava shook his head. That wasn't what the man had said. No, it was something different. "Er, we call him that. I suppose he just told us that was what he's been called, along with Tool, Servant, and Slave." They were odd things to be called, but he supposed he himself had been called some odd things as well.

"This man was powerful, and he said he allies with no one, but he is on the side of the Dark. Maybe he's the difference you felt." It was, after all, possible that they could be feeling the massive power of the man who smelled like lawyers and kittens and windows and rotten fish and abandoned alleyways at night and the filaments from lightbulbs when they smoked and computers. The man whose scent was the most powerful Ava had ever smelled. The man who Ava was going to, hopefully, get answers from.

And also the man who was gonna be his friend. He said it wasn't likely, but he wanted to, and, dammit, he was gonna!

[Aerith]

Choosing Sides

She was trying the best she could to sort through this torrent of information. Not only was she having to learn about her new self but also how her new self related to the rest of the worlds. And, according to Avarice, she already had many enemies simply because of what she was now. This struck her as somewhat unfair. She had not done anything to harm anyone. Yet. The inability to feel remorse was liberating, and she would eventually take advantage of it.

So. In a way, Muriel's actions had been an attempt by the Darkness to regain its former strength. She had more than likely been ignorant of that. The idea of being a tool had never sat well with the High Priestess. She much preferred being the one in control. All the better for her that she was now dead, blissfully unaware of how insignificant she had been when compared to the forces she had unknowingly played with.

"I understand." She nodded. "Light in excessive amounts can be harsh, much too bright to see. Those who walk in light can be as equally blind as they believe those in the dark to be. Which will eventually breed arrogance. And pride is the quickest way to fall." She knew that all too well, having watched Muriel.

Avarice mentioned someone else then. The Champion on the side of the dark. So powerful that he worked alone, seeking no allies. Choosing sides... Which side was she on in all of this? Did Nobodies have a side? Or were they their own side? "What I'm not sure about is what side I'm supposed to be on. You three are aligned with the dark. And the townspeople of this world and that Restoration Committee you mentioned are aligned with the light. But what of Nobodies?"

[Slash]

So Many Questions...

The information of the Champion had interested them greatly. They had not known that there was a specific being so tied to the dark and so powerful. Perhaps...they considered what the meaning of his existence could entail.

That was one thing that you learned with great age. Everyone, everything, had some connection to greater forces. Everything's existence had some meaning, no matter how slight. Seemingly insignificant things, like a few rolling flakes of snow going down a mountain, would build and build until they caused catastrophic wars or great reforms.

The Chaosling was also a strange and important creature, something which neither of them had seen before. He was a creature of the darkness, but only because he felt like it. Unlike them, he could change alliances at a whim. A creature with the powers of a Heartless and the freedom of a man...how fascinating.

It was Lethe and Kyza's priority to answer all of Mistress Liana's questions before responding to the Chaosling. The Nobodies could be sad creatures. Rejected by those of the light and with no connections to the darkness, they formed their own side. They were persecuted by all and loved by none, and they could not feel love themselves. But they would guard the mistress. Although she would never be able to feel gratitude or a liking towards them, they would remain by her side.

"The Nobodies have no side, mistress. They can only ally with each other," Kyza said sympathetically.

"They have their own side. Belonging to neither darkness or light, their birthright is the great void which holds neither."

Mistress Liana's question answered, they turned to respond to the wealth of the information the Chaosling had given them. They called all Heartless "brother" and "sister", so that would make the dark creature before them...a half-brother? Close enough.

"Interesting, half-brother."

"The light, when endangered, summons a warrior to its aid. Perhaps this is the same principle, employed by the darkness."

"But tell us, half-brother, if you are not Heartless then why do you carry our mark? Perhaps, since you are a new creature, you should create your own."

[Administrator]

An unorthodox adventuring party, maybe?

Ava nodded. Liana was learning quickly. "The strongest fall first." It was something he had heard a long time ago, something he knew was very true. He then listened to Liana ask what side the Nobodies were on, and nodded when the Heartless duo answered. "The Nobodies are cast away from both light and dark, left to wander somewhere in between." A void was it? Well, he supposed that was a way to put it. He'd never heard it said like that before.

Then, he was greeted as half-brother. Well, he supposed since he wasn't a Heartless he couldn't be their brother...but still, being called half-brother...that meant he had family. Besides Auntie Mally, who wasn't really family, he had never really known of a family. And now, he could call these two his half-brother and half-sister. It was...nice. A true family... Ava could have cried, but he didn't get emotional like that often. So, he didn't.

Looking at his hands, he watched the symbols on the backs of his hands slowly disappear. Maybe he could add new ones when he thought of one for himself. Or if I ever find more Chaoslings, and they already have a symbol. Ava almost gave a start at the thought. More of his kind? That wasn't likely, if even possible. Well, it was possible...but still, not likely.

Listening to his family's--it was odd to think of them as that, but that is what they were--remarks, Ava said, "Well, I was gonna go looking for the Champion again. We can go together. He knows a lot of stuff, and he might be able to tell us all something we want to know...'cause I know everyone wants to know something." Nodding to himself, the Chaosling figured they'd probably go with him, because everyone has something they want to know. Plus, Ava wanted to be the Champion's friend anyways.

Maybe he could find some way around the not-allying thing later on. Ava was sure there was some way he could ally with the Champion, if only he could think of it. It was then he made a decision. "I won't wear a mark, because I'm made of Chaos. Chaos can be found in any form, any shape and size, and always changes." Of course, that also meant he was not made of pure Chaos, because his outside didn't change a lot, just his insides. So, his outside had to be made of something to keep his insides in. And something had to keep the insides moving in a direction that made him able to fight and stuff.

That required...order? Order of his internal ichor--which was funny; it made it Ordered Chaos--and a shell of something. Maybe Order, maybe Darkness, maybe something else. But that didn't matter so much. He could ask the Champion for sure later on, when he found him. Because there was no 'if'. Ava was gonna find him, and he was gonna ask him questions, and he was gonna be his friend, and he was gonna be his ally. But still, that didn't help with what he was saying. And so, he continued. "So...I'm gonna stay markless. You can't leave a mark on Chaos, not one that lasts, because changing change doesn't really do anything."

Nodding, Ava went back to his previous statement. "After we leave each other, since I have stuff I gotta do..." His voice trailed off, a wistful note entering it for a moment, but that all was shaken off a moment later. "We can meet in the End of the World in five days." It gave him and them both plenty of time to do other things. And then, they could rejoin each other, and go search for the Champion together. Starting in the place of greatest darkness, where swallowed worlds went, was the best place to start, after all. Plus, they could teach Liana a little about how worlds work then. It would work in everyone's benefit. "That doesn't have to be now, though. But...what should we do while we are here?" He wasn't really sure. Ava had already done most of the fun stuff to be done here in Radiant Garden...or so he thought.

[Aerith]

Nothing Else to Do

Having no heart prevented Liana from feeling any sadness or anger at being rejected from either side of this cosmic balance. Instead, she took it in stride, just another piece of useful information. All the more reason for her to find these cloaked Nobodies and join them. She would have purpose then.

An exchange took place that Liana didn't follow or much care to follow, anyway. Something about figuring out what Avarice was exactly, since he was apparently not a Heartless, after all. What drew her full attention back was the offer to meet again at some place called the End of the World in five days. From there, they would search for this Champion. While Liana thought answers to questions were very important, she would have preferred focusing entirely on tracking down other Nobodies, rather than worrying about where some dark powerhouse was lurking.

Besides, neither the darkness nor the light cared about Nobodies, did they?

She would have said something to this effect, but Avarice was already asking what they should do right now, since they were already here. Other than continuing to talk, she could think of only one way to effectively use their time. "If you will do your best to ignore my lack of experience, we could train a little." Any amount of strength or prowess gained would be very helpful.

[Slash]

A Fine Idea

He wanted to meet at the End of the World? Certainly. In five days, either Liana would have joined the Nobodies or not. If she had joined, then they could leave her for a brief period of time without worrying, since she would be somewhat protected. If she hadn't, then she could accompany them. The End of The World was a fascinating place, and the home of the Heartless.

The mistress had a good idea. They were here to train, after all. The Chaosling had already proven himself to be a good fighter. Perhaps he could help?

"Yes, half-brother. Would you assist us?"

"It would be an honor."

[Administrator]

Like a well-oiled machine.

The meeting was essentially determined. Even should Liana not show, there would be Lethe and Kyza there to greet him. Of course, then there was talk of training. A sparring match? Well, Ava supposed he hadn't had much in the way of fighting lately, in comparison to what he usually did, so he could practice his art with them. After all, fighting was an art. A playful one, but still, an art nonetheless.

"Okay," he said, his weapons appearing in a flash of color. Lifting them, he noticed they were changed in appearance. No longer single bladed katanas, they were now black longswords. Looking at them a moment, Ava shrugged. Oh well. Either they were one sword or another sword. The shape didn't really matter so much. They were still implements of war, and they were sharp, just on both sides instead of one.

Spinning the blades, Ava started to speak again. His voice conveyed his mood through its sing-song tone. "Time to go~" Charging the other two, Ava went at less than maximum speed, just testing them for now. He dove at Liana, faking a thrust at her with one of his swords, and charging into i,he maneuver while pointing the other blade underneath his arm and towards Kyza.

As he almost was close enough for impact, Ava thrust out with his weapon, revealing his true attack pattern; a thrust at Kyza to distract Lethe and Kyza both, while his true attention went back to Liana. The blade, when it was either blocked or dodged, drew back to Ava himself as he stepped between Liana and the two Heartless. Then came the flurrying, Ava's twin blades slashing at harrying speeds towards both sides, most if not all of the attacks blockable.

But that was not the true purpose of his assault, even then. He switched his full attention to Lethe and Kyza for a moment, driving both back with a swift flurry of stabs. As he thrust a sword at each a final time, he drove forward farther. Once it was either dodged or made impact with body or weapon, Ava immediately drew back, turning back to Liana. He bore down on her, slashing and stabbing in a massive frenzy of blows.

Now was their test. Could they work together, even apart? Would they work as a unit, or impede each other? If they did impede each other, would it be due to ceasing to function as a unit and seeking only self-preservation, or would it be due to stepping on each others' toes? Any way it worked or didn't, it'd be fun to see their reaction~

[Aerith]

Unexpected Protection

The Avarice creature was more than willing to indulge them in a little training. He drew his swords again, even though they looked a bit different from before. Regardless of how they appeared, Liana knew they would be able to do damage if she wasn't at her most alert. Though she held Hallowed Ruin in a somewhat relaxed manner at her side, she was ready to defend herself when the time came.

And come, it did. Avarice rushed forward, intent on attacking both Liana and the Heartless pair at the same time. In a series of sword thrusts, the creature managed to drive them apart, leaving Liana to fend for herself against Avarice's full charge against her. The swords were a blur, and she was going to have to do her best to make sure the brunt of the assault landed on her weapon.

Instinct took over then. Rather than physically block the blows, she concentrated, the inkling of an ability scratching at the back of her mind. The air around her seemed to ripple and gained a sheen that was not present before. She now saw, not Avarice charging toward her, but herself reflected in the air. She waited, unsure of what to do, for those swords to appear again, but they did not. After a few moments, the air reverted back to its original state, and she peered out to see what exactly she had done.

[Summary:
Liana used Harrowing Reflection.
Posts until next use: 4
Uses remaining: 2][/i]